Dust excluding device for carpeted stairs



INVENTOR. WILLIAM J. NEUMANN ATTO RN EY Jan. 4, 1949.

w. J. NEUMANN DUSTEXCLUDING DEVICE FOR CARPETED STAIRS Filed June 2, 1947 Patented Jan. 4, 1949 UNIT STATES PAT sNr OFFICE DUST EXCLUDING DEVIGE FOR GARPETED STAIRS Wi iam J. Herma ast Q mit, Mic

Application June: 2, 1947, Serial No. 751, 54

This invention relates to a metal (or equiva-.. lent) closure piece or filler for positioning against orunder each marginal edge of that pore tion of a stair carpet or runner, which, as laid, lies. opposite to, that is to. say, in front or; the riser wall of each stair.

Since most stair constructions involve the presence of a slight overhang of the forward edge of the tread portions beyond the plane or the riser part of its stair, itis obvious: that, no matster how carefully the car-pet may be laid, the very fact of its being drawn tightly trom stair to stair involves the leaving of a triangular spacebounded onthe two longsides thereof by the riser wall and the line or thecarpet, and across its relatively short third side by the overhanging edge. of thefstair tread.

If this space be left loose as regards closure or the ends of the space thus bounded, it has been my experience that a distressing quantity; of dust and similar waste particles accumulates within this triangular space, and the construction here, in illustrated is offered asa cheap, easily installed, and efi ect-ive means or closing this space at either end of the carpet against accessions of dust into this triangular space.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side sectional elevational view of three carpeted stair units, showing my improved dust-excluding device in position relatively to the tread and riser portions of the stairs.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the riser and tread portions of a total of three stair units, showing the relation of my improved device with the stair runner carpet drawn thereover.

Figure 3 is a partly broken away sectional plan view of a stair unit, showing, on a larger scale than in Figure 2, the relation of one of my dustexcluding units when positioned, relatively to the carpet runner and to the tread and riser portions of a stair installation. This view is taken generally along the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows there shown.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the riser and tread portions of a stair, with my improved device in position relatively thereto and to the thereover drawn stair carpet runner.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of my improved dust-excluding units, its relatively short top edge being contoured to fit snugly under the curved forwardly-projecting edge of the stair tread.

Figure 6 is a similar perspective view of a slightly modified contouring of the short top edge 2; army-improved device, for accurate fitting there: or about the contourings of a molding strip pOSir. tioned. on: the under face. or the. slightly over-.. hanging forward edge of the stair tread.

Each unit A and B, as illustrated Figure 1, consists of a, central web portion of general isosceles; triangular or wedge shape, having: an over: bent flange along each lateral edge, as for exam: pleflanges C and D. of the left hand unit A, and: E and F of the right hand unit B, Those-flanges, D of unit A, and F of unit B, are adapted to be tacked or similarlysecured, as for example bymere glueing, to the outer face of the stairriserwall G, while the outside flanges, as C of unit 1 A, and E1 of unit 13-, are adapted to be attached in any desired mannerto the under surface of the extreme marginal, left hand and right hand edges or the stair carpet N, as H and K respectively. 'I-fhe central web A; tor B) or each or these units thus respectively placed closes the ends of the space between the line orthetightly draw-n stair carpet andthe face of the stairriserwall, to a dust-excluding degree.

My improved dust-excludingu-n-i-ts are turnished in pairs, one for the. left-hand edge of the carpet runner and one for the right-hand edge thereof, and since these must differ in the arrangement of their top, short-side, contouring from one another along. their top edges because of their being designed to fit closely about the slightly overhanging forward edge of the tread portion of a stair, one at the right-hand bordering edge of the stair carpet as installed and the other at the left-hand edge thereof, I have, in Figure 5, shown in perspective, as unit B, one of my dust-excluding members which is adapted for positioning under the right-hand edge of the carpet runner, while the very similar flanged web member A shown in Figure 6 is similarly adapted for positioning under the left-hand edge of the carpet runner. It will be noted that one of these, as B, is plainly curved along its top edge, 50 as to fit tightly under and partly about a stair tread whose overhanging forward edge is merely curved or rounded, while the similarly functioning unit A illustrated in Figure 6 and adapted for positioning under the left-hand edge of the carpet runner, is contoured at its top edge so as to conform to the cross-sectional form of a beading or finishing strip, as 'M, sometimes positioned on the under side of the overhanging forward edge of the stair tread. Both forms function identically as regards the dust-excluding action of the device when installed.

These units are easily movable, either entirely I or from their connection with the edges of the be contoured accordingly. The attachment of these flange portions C, D, E and F, to the dustexcluding unit to the stair riser panel and to the 1 adjacent marginal under side of the stair runner, may be effected by any desired means, tacks or staples, glue, or any equivalent. Indeed, at the possible expense of the fit of the wedge-shaped piece across the triangularly shaped space-'between the stair tread and the under face of the carpet, any positive attachment of either flange to its adjacent stair riser surface or to the carpet runner might be omitted, reliance being had on mere friction to hold the device in place.

What I claim is: V

1. A dust-excluding device for positioning along the under face of each marginal edge of those portions of a stair carpet piece which lie spacedly in front of the riser portions of the stair units, comprising a central web portion of generally wedge-shaped contour, the broad end of each one of which is adapted to be placed subjacently of the overhanging forward edge of the tread portion of each stair, with its bounding flange portions attachable respectively to the face of the vertical portion of the stair structure and to the adjacent marginal edge of the carpet.

2. A unitary closure unit for attachment to each edge of that portion of a stair carpet runner which lies spacedlyin front of the riser panel of a stair structure, the triangularly shaped central web portion of said unit extending over the otherwise open .space thus created between the carpet and the stair riser panel, and the flange portions being adapted for attachment to the carpet edge and to the correspondingly positioned portion of the stair riser respectively.

3. A unitary closure panel of generally wedgeshaped sectional contour, consisting of a central web portion adapted to be positioned across each end of the correspondingly shaped space between the riser panel of a stair and the under surface of a positioned stair carpet runner, with the central portion thereof being flanked by integral flange portions adapted for attachment to the carpets margin and to the edge portion of the carpet runner respectively. I

. '4. Means for excluding the access of dust intothe cross-sectionally wedge-shaped space between the riser portion of a stair structure and a carpet runner which passes over the overhanging for- ;ward edge of the tread portion of the stair structure immediately thereabove, consisting of a formed unit whose central portion is adapted to function asa closure Wall for said carpet-bounded wedge-shaped-space and whose flange portions are adapted to be attached to the adjacent marginal edge of the carpet and to the adjacent face of the riser panel of the stair structure respectively.

5. A wedge-shaped closure member having overbent lateral flanges adapted for engagement with those marginal portions of a stair carpet runner, which lie in front of the riser portion of a stair structure, and with said riser portion, and a central web portion, which, held in position by the described unit of its flange portions therewith, serves to close the cross-sectionally triangular open space'created by the drawing of the carpet runner over the forwardly projecting edge of the superiorly positioned tread portion of the stair next above.

6. End closure means for the cross-sectionally wedge-shaped space enclosed between the riser wall of a stair structure, the'overhanging forward edge of the tread portion of the next higher. stair unit, and the inner surface of a carpet runner drawn over the latter, consisting of a unitary closure piece whose central web serves torterminally close such described wedge-shaped space againstthe access of dust particles thereinto, and flange portions adapted to engage marginal'portions of the carpet runner and to the adjacent portions of the riser panel of the stair structure.

WILLIAM J. NEUMANNJ No references cited. 

